St. Petersburg, after the full outbreak of the agricultural crisis, became the center of the storm's vortex.
European public opinion repeatedly blamed the Russians for intentionally creating an agricultural crisis, attempting to use the opportunity to collapse the European agricultural production system and monopolize the food supply in Europe.
This statement was not wrong; the Tsarist Government did indeed have such a plan, but the agricultural crisis erupted before they could implement it.
Agriculture is the industry hardest to monopolize, with almost no barriers to entry; anyone can cultivate land. In these times, suitable land for farming was everywhere, and any Colonial Empire did not have to be subject to others.
The Tsarist Government had the desire to monopolize Europe's food supply but lacked the ability to execute such a plan. Russian agricultural production costs were not competitive, making it nearly impossible to win in market competition.
